Astros lock up the series win against the Angels

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 5-2 win

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 5-2 win
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Houston was able to hold on and take the series opener against the Angels on Friday night, so they turned their attention to locking up the series with a win on Saturday night. Here is a quick rundown of the middle game:

Final Score: Astros 5, Angels 2.

Record: 84-47, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Wade Miley (13-4, 3.13 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Dillon Peters (3-2, 4.50 ERA).

1) Astros score five early on two homers

Houston's offense went right after Dillon Peters in the bottom of the first inning. Jose Altuve reached base on a one-out triple, then scored on a two-run homer by Michael Brantley in the next at-bat to make it a quick 2-0 Astros lead.

In the bottom of the third, Altuve made it back-to-back hits with a leadoff double, then Michael Brantley was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Alex Bregman took advantage, powering the second homer of the night to extend the lead to 5-0.

2) Miley goes five innings

Wade Miley meanwhile was able to record another decent outing. He retired the first nine batters he faced in order, and did not allow a hit until the top of the fourth when he gave up a leadoff single, but would still get through the inning scoreless.
Miley's first and only run allowed came in the top of the fifth, a two-out solo home run to make it a 5-1 score. He would struggle to get that last out of the inning, loading the bases with a couple of singles and a walk, but was eventually able to get out of it and strand the bases loaded.

After the long fifth inning and his pitch count rising, A.J. Hinch did not task him with going any further than the five innings of one-run baseball he provided. His final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.

3) Houston secures the series win

With Miley shut down after his five innings, it was up to Houston's bullpen to finish the last four innings. Brad Peacock was first up, and struggled with the zone and only recorded one out before Houston moved on to Chris Devenski, who was able to finish the top of the sixth.

Joe Smith had the seventh, and despite allowing a leadoff walk which would score on an RBI-single later in the inning, was able to get through the inning with Houston still ahead 5-2. Collin McHugh took over on the mound in the eighth and was able to erase two walks to maintain the lead.

With Roberto Osuna's usage high over the last few games, he was given a break and instead Will Harris had the chance for a save. Harris was able to take advantage, throwing a scoreless frame to wrap up the 5-2 win and give Houston the series victory.

Up Next: The Astros and Angels will wrap up this series on Sunday with an afternoon start of 1:10 PM. Los Angeles is expected to send Jaime Barria (4-6, 6.35 ERA) to the mound while Houston announced that they would bring Framber Valdez (3-6, 5.58 ERA) back into the rotation to fill the spot of Aaron Sanchez who is on the injured list, at least for his next two starts.

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.

The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.

On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.

Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.

The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.

How the mighty have fallen.

Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.

Screenshot via: MLB.com



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